Airports across Asia are reviving Covid-era health checks after an outbreak of the deadly Nipah virus in India’s eastern state of West Bengal, ushering in a new phase of nervous vigilance along some of the region’s busiest travel corridors.

From Bangkok to Kathmandu and Taipei, passengers arriving from affected areas are encountering temperature scanners, health declaration forms and on-the-spot medical assessments designed to keep the high-fatality virus from slipping across borders.

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Outbreak in India Triggers Rapid Regional Response

Indian health authorities confirmed a cluster of Nipah virus infections in West Bengal in recent days, with at least five laboratory-confirmed cases and close contacts placed under quarantine, according to local and international reports. The cases are linked to a woman who died after developing symptoms consistent with Nipah infection, prompting urgent contact tracing and surveillance in the state’s rural districts and in the capital Kolkata.

The World Health Organization classifies Nipah as a priority pathogen because of its high mortality rate, estimated at more than 40 percent in documented outbreaks, and its potential for human-to-human transmission in close-contact settings. The virus is carried by fruit bats and can spread to humans directly, via contaminated food such as raw date palm sap, or through intermediate animal hosts, typically pigs.

Within days of the West Bengal cases being confirmed, neighboring and regional governments acted to plug what they see as the most obvious gap in their defenses: international air travel. Health ministries in Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan were among the first to announce enhanced screening of passengers arriving from India, particularly those flying out of Kolkata and other airports serving the eastern region.

The speed and coordination of the response reflect hard-learned lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, which first spread globally through air routes and overwhelmed border health systems that were not designed to handle an invisible respiratory pathogen. This time, officials stress, they intend to stay ahead of the curve.

Thailand Revives Covid-Era Airport Protocols

Thailand has emerged as one of the most proactive countries in the region, rolling out tiered Nipah screening across its three key international gateways: Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, and Phuket International Airport. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand announced that from the early hours of Monday local time, all flights from West Bengal would be subject to comprehensive health checks, both before departure and on arrival.

Airlines operating these routes have been instructed to conduct preliminary assessments at the boarding gate, turning away passengers who display obvious symptoms unless they can produce medical clearance. On arrival, travelers are funneled through dedicated screening stations, where infrared cameras and handheld thermometers check body temperature and health officers review travel histories and possible exposure risks.

Officials say the procedures draw heavily on systems developed at the height of the Covid crisis, when Thailand used airport screening, detailed passenger questionnaires and digital tracking tools to keep infection rates relatively low compared with many other tourist-heavy destinations. This time, the same infrastructure is being reactivated, with some adjustments to reflect Nipah’s particular characteristics and incubation period.

Thailand’s prime minister and senior public health officials have repeatedly underlined that, as of Monday, January 26, no Nipah cases have been detected in the kingdom. They describe the heightened screening as a preemptive safeguard rather than a reaction to local transmission, seeking to balance reassurance for residents and tourists with a message of serious preparedness.

Phuket and Tourist Hotspots on Visible High Alert

Nowhere are the new controls more visible than in Phuket, a beach destination that has become a major hub for Indian holidaymakers and business travelers. Airport managers report that one airline currently operates five direct flights a week from Kolkata to Phuket, placing the route under intense scrutiny by disease-control officers.

Incoming passengers from India are being met at the jet bridge by teams in high-visibility vests who direct them to thermographic screening corridors and, where necessary, secondary medical checks. Airport authorities have boosted the frequency of cleaning in terminals, focusing on high-touch surfaces such as handrails, security trays and check-in kiosks, and reinstated more prominent hand-sanitizer stations in arrival halls.

Local tourism officials acknowledge the potential reputational risk of being seen as a “high-alert” destination, but argue that visible precautions can actually bolster traveler confidence. They note that Thailand’s rapid adoption of Covid-safe protocols in 2020 and 2021, including health passes and controlled “sandbox” reopening schemes, helped to accelerate the tourism rebound once borders reopened.

In Phuket’s hotels and tour operations, staff have been briefed to watch for guests experiencing fever, severe headaches or respiratory distress in the weeks after arriving from India, and to encourage anyone feeling unwell to seek medical care promptly and disclose their recent travel history. Health authorities emphasize that early detection and isolation of suspected Nipah cases would be critical to containing any imported infection.

Nepal and Taiwan Tighten Checks on India Flights

Further north, Nepal’s Health Ministry has instructed Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport to intensify checks on passengers arriving from India, especially those transiting through Kolkata or other eastern hubs. Health desks at the airport are conducting temperature screening and brief symptom interviews, while airlines have been asked to flag any passengers who appear unwell during flight.

Nepal’s move reflects both geographic proximity and close people-to-people ties with India, with large volumes of cross-border movement for work, education and tourism. Public health officials in Kathmandu say they are working to strengthen surveillance not only at the airport but also at key land crossings, where informal trade and travel can complicate disease monitoring.

Taiwan, which maintained some of the strictest border controls in Asia during the Covid-19 years, has similarly announced enhanced surveillance of arrivals from India. Authorities in Taipei have reactivated some of the thermal imaging systems that were installed at Taoyuan International Airport at the height of the pandemic and are instructing front-line officers to pay particular attention to passengers who report recent visits to West Bengal or contact with farm animals or bats.

Officials in both Nepal and Taiwan stress that they have not yet recorded any Nipah infections linked to the current Indian outbreak. They frame the revived screening measures not as an indication of imminent danger, but as a cost-effective insurance policy for health systems that, while strengthened since 2020, remain wary of highly lethal emerging pathogens.

How Nipah Differs From Covid for Travelers

Public health experts across Asia have moved quickly to explain to travelers how Nipah differs from the coronavirus that caused the last global pandemic, in an effort to calibrate public anxiety. Unlike Covid-19, which spreads efficiently through the air via respiratory droplets and aerosols, Nipah is not considered an airborne virus in typical community settings. Transmission usually requires close contact with bodily fluids from an infected person or animal, or consumption of food contaminated by bat secretions.

This means that while Nipah is far less transmissible than Covid-19, its case fatality rate can be dramatically higher, ranging from around 40 percent to as much as 70 percent in some outbreaks. Patients often develop high fever, severe headache and muscle pain, followed by respiratory symptoms and, in serious cases, encephalitis leading to confusion, seizures and coma.

For travelers, the primary risk factors include visiting areas where raw date palm sap is collected and consumed, coming into contact with sick animals, or caring for someone with suspected Nipah infection without proper protective measures. Health authorities are urging visitors to avoid handling bats, pigs or other wildlife, to consume only properly washed and cooked fruit, and to seek immediate medical attention if they develop symptoms within three weeks of returning from affected regions.

Critically, there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for Nipah. Care is supportive, focusing on managing symptoms and complications in intensive care settings. This underlines why countries are treating the importation of even a single case as a serious event, particularly where hospital capacity remains stretched.

Inside the New Health-Check Routine at Asian Gateways

For many travelers flying into Asia from India this week, the experience at immigration will feel uncannily familiar. At Suvarnabhumi and other major hubs, thermal cameras are once again scanning crowds for signs of elevated temperature, while uniformed officers stand by to pull aside anyone who looks visibly ill.

On selected flights from West Bengal and other flagged regions, passengers are being asked to fill out health declaration forms that record recent travel routes, contact with animals and any current symptoms. These forms, a staple of the Covid-19 era, allow disease-control teams to rapidly trace and notify fellow travelers if a positive Nipah case is later identified on a flight.

Those who register a high temperature or report concerning symptoms can be escorted to on-site medical rooms for further evaluation, including oxygen saturation checks and more detailed questioning. If Nipah is suspected, protocols call for the passenger to be transferred to designated quarantine facilities or specialist hospitals for isolation and testing.

Officials are keen to emphasize that most travelers will experience only minimal additional inconvenience, typically passing through scanners without delay. However, they warn that passengers who conceal symptoms or provide false information on health forms may face penalties in some jurisdictions, reflecting how seriously governments now view the risk of importing dangerous pathogens.

Tourism Industry Weighs Risk and Reassurance

The timing of the Nipah scare is particularly sensitive for Asian tourism markets that had been counting on 2026 to consolidate their recovery from the Covid-19 downturn. Thailand, which welcomed a record number of Indian visitors in the years before the pandemic, has been banking on sustained growth from the Indian market to offset a slower-than-expected return of Chinese tour groups.

Industry analysts say the reintroduction of health checks for specific routes is unlikely, on its own, to derail travel plans. Many travelers have become accustomed to some level of health screening and documentation after the pandemic. What could be more damaging, they warn, would be a perception that an outbreak is slipping out of control, leading to broader travel advisories or sudden flight suspensions.

For now, tourism boards in Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan are striking a cautious tone, reiterating government statements that no local Nipah transmission has been detected and that the current measures are precautionary. They are also working with airlines and travel agents to ensure that information about screening procedures and health recommendations reaches travelers before departure, reducing the risk of confusion or bottlenecks at arrival airports.

Some hotel groups and tour operators are quietly revisiting their contingency plans, updating protocols developed during Covid-19 to address the different transmission patterns and clinical profile of Nipah. These include rapid referral pathways to local hospitals, isolation arrangements for sick guests and communication templates for handling potential exposure incidents.

What International Travelers Should Expect Next

As of January 26, health authorities across Asia are monitoring the evolution of the West Bengal outbreak and stand ready to adjust their measures in response to new data. If India succeeds in containing the Nipah cluster quickly, as it has done in several previous outbreaks in the southern state of Kerala, some of the current screening requirements could be scaled back within weeks.

Conversely, if additional cases emerge in new geographic areas or signs of wider community transmission appear, more stringent steps could follow. These could range from expanded screening to cover a broader set of Indian departure points to temporary suspension of specific routes, mandatory health monitoring apps or, in extreme scenarios, short-notice travel restrictions.

For travelers planning trips between India and other parts of Asia, the immediate advice is to build extra time into airport itineraries, expect temperature checks and possible questionnaires, and stay informed via official health advisories in both departure and destination countries. Those with underlying health conditions, or planning to visit rural areas where bat-to-human transmission is more likely, may want to consult a travel medicine specialist before departure.

Governments across the region are clear that they do not want to return to the blanket border closures that characterized the early Covid-19 response. Instead, the Nipah scare is becoming a test case for a more targeted, data-driven model of health security, in which risk is managed through finely tuned controls at key points in the travel system. How well that model performs in the coming weeks will shape not only the trajectory of this outbreak, but also the future of cross-border tourism in an age of recurring zoonotic threats.